A new pattern from Designer Stitch . The Ilse vest!
From the DS website: The Ilse Vest is a versatile and relaxed easy wearing garment. The pattern offers cups sizes ( B, C, D, DD (E) ) for fine-tuning the fit of your garment.
As a closure, you can make an Obi belt ( pattern included ) or a purchased fastening. Obviously, I did choose the latest :).
I made my Ilse vest in my usual DS size for tops, 3C. The garment has a relaxed fit, so I did not make any changes. The fabric is a beautiful sherpa type, bought online at Bas Bastiaans ( no affiliate). On one side is suede and on the other side, it is a gold(-ish) fur. I was so excited to start on this vest that I did not even think about how I should cut it. So I did it as I would with any other fabric. Big mistake! After I cut all my pieces I went on the internet trying to find a way to sew my back shoulder darts in this thick fabric. When I was searching that I also found that on fur you should cut only the on the backing fabric, in this case, my suede and not all the way thru the fur ....Yes, a little too late for me!
I sewed my darts, as usual, the fabric behaved nice . Then I was to decide on how to sew my seams. I wanted those raw edges showing. The main seams on this pattern are 1.5 cm so I marked my stitching lines and then overlapped my pieces at the stitching line and sew, and then again one row at 1cm away from the first row. To resolve my cutting mistake and get those furry edges I trimmed my SA, only cutting the suede layer. I'm really happy how the seams are looking.
Also, I did not use the provided facings for the armholes and to get a bit of reinforcement ( I saw that in the RTW similar garments) I did a straight stitch row on the armholes and around the collar and the hem. And again I trimmed a bit on the edge to repair my cutting mistake and get that fur edge neat.
At the end this is a very easy project, you know, with the "right "fabric you can make it way too time-consuming :)), like I did ! I saw a lot of beautiful testers versions in wool and I really want one too! I love this one though, it is really warm and cozy, plus my daughter wants to hug me the whole time I am wearing it because it is so soft :).
The Ilse vest is for a limited time on Sale at the Designer Stitch Shop ( as a PDF pattern with swing instructions in English )
*This post contains affiliate links
